In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date:    (i) part of common general knowledge; or    (ii) known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.
Applicant's published International Patent Application WO 2007131301 describes an integrated system of power generation and organic fertiliser production. Co-generated waste heat from biomass combustion is beneficially re-deployed to facilitate composting of organic materials over a twelve month production cycle.
It would be advantageous to adapt the process described in WO 2007131301 to enable high-carbon, fibrous products, such as wheat straw, to be used as all or part of the raw material in the production of organic fertiliser. It would also be advantageous to minimise or even eliminate the need to separately source inorganic fertiliser components such as oxygen DAP, MAP, ammoniated superphosphate, ammonium carbamate and possibly urea for use in the process.
Published United States Patent Application No. 2002/0010382 describes a process for incinerating combustible material, such as municipal waste and/or biomass. The effluent stream resulting from the combustion of the material is sorbed of its environmentally-hazardous components in a sorbent bed prior to venting the substantially pollutant-free stream to the atmosphere. The sorbent bed is also reactivated with a reactivating agent such as carbon dioxide or air, with the pollutant-carrying reactivating agent being recycled to the combustion chamber to be decomposed by combustion.
Published International Patent Application No. WO 2005/005786 describes a process for generating electricity and producing fertiliser. The process involves incinerating a biomass material to create electricity and producing nitric acid from nitrogenous compounds extracted from exhaust gases produced during biomass combustion. Nitrogen-based fertilisers such as ammonium nitrate and calcium nitrate are produced by reacting the nitric acid with a suitable fertiliser base such as aqueous ammonia and calcium carbonate respectively.
Published United States Patent Application No. 2008/0041284 describes a method for co-producing electric power and urea from a carbonaceous material such as coal, lignite, peat or biomass The carbonaceous material is pyrolised to produce a raw rich gas and a char product. The char product is then gasified with air to produce a raw lean gas which is in turn combusted with air to generate electric power. The rich gas produced from the gasification of air is cleaned to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Finally, the hydrogen is synthesized with nitrogen and carbon dioxide captured from exhaust gas of the lean gas combustion to produce urea and water.
Published United States Patent Application No. 2008/0040975 describes a process for maximising the value of a carbonaceous material such as bituminous coal, lignite, peat, coke or biomass. The process involves pyrolising the carbonaceous material to produce a first gas and a hot char. The hot char is divided into two streams, the first being directed to a gasifier to be gasified to produce a second gas. The second char stream is further divided into two sub-streams, with the first being heated to create a sub-stream of hot activated carbon. Urea is produced by combining the hot activated carbon with flue gases produced from combustion of the second gas. Finally, the urea is combined with the second activated carbon sub-stream to produce an enhanced urea fertiliser.